New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-01-16
SAFE PLACES FORTREAsURE.
HOW DEPOSIT VAULTS ARE MADE

A GLANCE AT SOME on THE oosrIIEsT IN THE CITY.
There were two mon q Broadway car the other
day talking about a recent robbery of jewels and
valuable papers uptown and the folly Of no. putting
such things in safe place. They ran over the safe
deposit companies where their eEn securities and
plate were stored, and of them spoke about the
great progress that had been made In devices for the
protection OF treasure.
1t is long way in fact, from the simple contriyances
of classic times for protecting ready wealth to tho
golfers and money chests. tue secret drawers ana
guarded treasures OF Florence and Neuice. And from
them lie stfll longer through the clumsy sales
and rude locks Of the last century to the present
almost perfect treasure vaults proof against tire or
food, against both sharpedged tools and any charges
of powder dynamite that burglar nay safely use.
The present safety vault has vt grown out OF
the old safe, aud is really only O perfected modern
bank safe emerged plan. The average safe is an
iron and steel box to six height by
four feot in breadth and depth. 1t has thick door,
made in half dozen layers Of unequal size, heavily
boted together, aud opens by combination OF move
exterior knob. The safe-deposit vault Is
another big boz, also OF steel and iron,
ten feet in height and twelve feet in longth
built In, like prisoners cell, with o heavy
wall OF brick, mortar and cement, and opening
BY door almost foot thickness into larger
done to make the body OF the vault oregnable and
to put the secret OF the intricate lock beyond chance Of
guessing. The cell inside is lined with drawers aud
boxes, each locked and bOlted. The whole thing is q
safe within safe, making assurance doubly sure at
but slightly higher rates for nervous and cautious
depositors.
An average sized safety vault Is OF course big
and costly tor the needs OF an ordinary bank. Many
Furnishing country banks obliged to have them for
selfproeoon, but III the cities, particularly New
York, several banking houses often have vault in
common. The Stock Exchange has large ono which
may be used by any Of lis members. The Produce Ex-
change has o vault, too open In the way to the
grain brokers vast amount of securities Is stored
in these two vaulIs every afternoon between snd
O'Clock. and taken ont every morning between and
10. These two vaults cost over $50, 900 each, aud
hold more wealth, probably than Auy others in this
country. The New-f0rk County Bank, ut Elghth-aye
aud Fourtecnth-st., has . large safety vault, much
used by depos'tvrs and outside banks. 30 has tho
Lincoln Bank tho Nassau Bank, the Bank OF tho State
oil NewYork and the Seoons National Bank at Fifth
ave and Twenty third-st
But tho care aud storage of valuable. have been
shouldsred OF IN great part by the banks the pev
safe deposit and trust cOmpaaiss There arc now
t~ enty or more OF these in tho city. The NewYork
Safe Dep's Company, at Liberty ST. and Broadway,
il the oldest Of these and the first put in
costly vault. Tho Mercantile Safe Deposit and
Trust Company, near by in the Equitable Building.
is another with vault fgn OF enormously valuable
seourifiea This Lincoln Safe Deposit Company, In
Forty -sccOnd-st, just opposite the Grand Centfn
Station, perhaps, the largest OF all tho companies
tx tosimas General Thomas L. James Ia " presi-
dent and in It's tault Is stored the greater psrt OF the
Vanderbilt securities.
Tho vault itself on tho GROUND floor Of tho big build
ing has clear length OF thirty feet and clear
above The floor The metal walls arc three inches in
thcknos to nothing OF the outside layers OF orok
und cement The tour sides straight down II the
foundations Of tho building. aud the hole thing -
sCa
Observatory. There 10 only Q single door. almost .
foot in thiokne and opening BY the most elaborate OF
the wall from top TO bottom Each one u mads Of
metal aud pulls out ike drawer No key Gan open
more than one and there are nearly 5000 IN all Tho
drawers boI.s ars rented BY the year. the prices
ranging from $40 $50 to BOO and over. Ihs |
Lincoln Company's vault cost $4,000.
another large and hourishns ssis dsposiL COMPANY
tbs American OF which Elliott r. Shepard Is president
The boxes 10 its vault arc taken chiefly by people
who live uptown, and Its busiest seassn perhaps Is
that OF the summer oxodua Harlem has = safe |
deposit company OF Its own, the Mount Norris In Ono
hundred and tive nty titbsL Among the other well
known companies in ths oify the Kniokerbocker.
the Stuyvesant, tao Manhattan ana the North River
large sSf.matsrs The wots used far the rss Of
the vault - fixture OF iron and steel. melted |
together at high heat and tempnred throughout as
hhely ana evenly is possibe. The result Is homo
gonoous, almost nawess irfs which de6es alike the
burglars tolls tbs flames of a big tire A wall |
t'ires inches In thickness is laid plates with |
heavy bolts OF the material aud the whole side Is
then shut In with stout covering OF fire proof brick
aud finely mixed cement Particular of course,
10 taken with the door, which the only part exposed
after tho outer wall Is but The plaie dou bled,
braced rebraced. various sizes according to tho
layers. lapping AMI falling short out all 90 pulled
and blended together that while holds all will
hold aud the treasures within will still be sale The
lock continuation is male so intricate. too that II
needs mans mind working all the time TO keep up
with H.
The demand for vaults is comparatively small now, |
but the ma&ers agree that there will be a arge IN
crease is tho numbsr used before ten years pass
PEOPLE just beginning to realize what mcnal relief
II /. To have ones yaluables absolutely from
accident theft, aud that comfortable feeling is
Ia spread even II it entails thu badlng OF eOstlier
safety vaults than those NO have now.